This report was produced by the National Criminal Justice Association under grant number 2010-DB-BX-K086, awarded by the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the authors and contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the SMART Office or the U.S. Department of Justice.

Perpetrators of sex crimes are often seen as needing special management practices. As a result, jurisdictions across the country have implemented laws and policies that focus specifically on sex offenders, often with extensive public support. At the same time, the criminal justice community has increasingly recognized that crime control and prevention strategiesincluding those targeting sex offendersare far more likely to work when they are based on scientific evidence.

Recognizing the important role scientific evidence plays, the SMART Office developed the Sex Offender Management Assessment and Planning Initiative (SOMAPI), a project designed to assess the state of research and practice in sex offender management. Recommendations stemming from SOMAPI informed this report.

The National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) is hosting a new webinar series based on the SMART Office's Sex Offender Management Assessment and Planning Initiative (SOMAPI) report. These webinars are designed to provide policymakers and practitioners with trustworthy, up-to-date information they can use to identify and implement what works to combat sexual offending and prevent sexual victimization.